Comments on: Stay Home or Go Back to Work: The Results

By: Father Sez » Archive » Getting ready for a different rhythm to my life

Father Sez » Archive » Getting ready for a different rhythm to my life — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:44:30 +0000

[...] have been sort of expecting something like this ever since she wrote some about some of the “pulls and pushes in her life” way back in January and February [...]

By: Adey

Adey — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:14:38 +0000

Thanks for this post. We aren’t ready to have kids yet but off and on I’ve been thinking about the best ways to prepare our household. The way you laid things out will make planning a little easier.

Also, I think the most important thing to consider is what is best for your family.

By: FMF

FMF — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:44:30 +0000

Don’t do it! The benefit to your kids (and your relationship to them) is priceless. (Just look at all the comments you’ve received on this and other posts telling you how others didn’t go back to work and never regretted it.)

So what would I suggest instead?

1. Cut expenses. Some will drop as a direct result of you not working, but others can be added because you’ll have more time to focus on them (such as taking time to food shop using more sales, coupons, etc.)

2. Have your husband work on growing his income.

3. Start a business at home. You have a good blog here — and you can probably build it into something that earns you $1k-$2k per month if you work at it and stick to it.

My wife has stayed at home with our kids and always says she’s been so blessed to do so. And I think it’s made a HUGE difference to our kids and our relationship with them.

By: 46th Carnival of Money Stories—Living it Out

46th Carnival of Money Stories—Living it Out — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:34:26 +0000

[...] at My Dollar Plan presents the results of her stay home or go back to work poll. She’s dealing with both needs and responsibilities…and hopefully she’ll [...]

By: Mr. Debtbeater

Mr. Debtbeater — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:33:50 +0000

My wife has stayed at home with our six children and we\’ve never thought twice about what we\’ve missed out on financially because of it. It\’s simply made such a difference in our lives and for our children.

Quite frankly, I\’m jealous. I\’d love to be the one that gets to stay home with them. Perhaps someday I\’ll get enough of the \”multiple streams of income\” going to where I can be home more, but we\’ll see.

Good for you for trying!

By: Perry Internet Consulting » Blog Archive » Finance Blogs

Perry Internet Consulting » Blog Archive » Finance Blogs — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:06:32 +0000

[...] – These blogs put a personal spin on the topic that’s very appealing. One woman did a financial analysis to see if she could afford to be a stay at home mom. Another blogger tells about the excitement of paying off her credit cards. These blogs give us a [...]

By: Kelly Rigby

Kelly Rigby — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:32:29 +0000

Congratulations on navigating this emotional minefield with your values and future goals intact. It sounds like you guys are super focused and committed to a well thought out plan, and I have every confidence that this will only mean good things for you and your family’s long term happiness.

Kelly

By: Becky @ FamilyandFinances

Becky @ FamilyandFinances — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:35:03 +0000

It was very interesting reading your posts on this topic. I actually consider myself “lucky” to make a lot less than my husband since I know it will make it easier to switch to one income when we have kids

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:22:31 +0000

Sounds like a great decision for you!

My child is now 18. After living through the work/life struggle, I would advise any mom to always keep a toe dipped into her career no matter the number of children at home. The “toe” could be occasional contracting work on projects that relate to the career and even volunteer work that puts the skills of the career to work. Whatever the situation, keep on _networking_ and keep that career identity.

Two big reasons: a woman needs a portion of her life to be about her and not about kids and you never know when life may change, forcing you to return to your career/income.

Best of luck!

By: RacerX

RacerX — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:05:07 +0000

It has meant sacrifices here, but it has been great to give the kids something that we both would have prefered!

By: fathersez

fathersez — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 07:18:42 +0000

Good for you, Madison.

As long as you keep thinking about improving your work/life balance, it will start happening.

All the best to your meeting your goals!

By: Lynnae @ beingfrugal.net

Lynnae @ beingfrugal.net — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:24:49 +0000

It looks like you’ve put a lot of thought into this and made a good decision for your family. I like you you’re not stopping with going back to work, but that you have a plan for 2-3 years down the road as well!

By: Kacie

Kacie — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:47:31 +0000

Thanks for sharing the details of your thought process! It was interesting to hear about.

Every family’s situation is different, and it changes as we go through different seasons in our life.

My mom ended up with a job earning a lot more than my father. I was a baby, and the only way they could afford to, well, live, was if he stayed home with me and she continued working. They simply couldn’t afford paying someone to watch me. Unconventional, but it worked for us.

A four-day workweek really does seem shorter than a five-day.

Best wishes with everything!